BETT Day 2
Web 2.0 ers take heart!
Some observations on a seminar: Social Technologies and Learning in Your Classroom. Blogs, Wikis Podcasting and More – Miles Berry and Terry Freedman that I visited at BETT yesterday.
Warning: these are personal, non-scientific and totally un-back-up-able observations duly noted later that night whilst tucked up in bed in the London dungeon/cupboard that is home this week.
The rather large Seminar A Hall was FULL. The seminar was sold out and there was a queue to get in. We are talking over 200 250 (sorry Miles and Terry!)people sitting and standing around the hall (based on 180 attending an earlier seminar (counted) and adding in the extra bodies standing and sitting around the back and sides of the Hall).
A noticeable lack of “suits”- everyone looked terribly ordinary as if they might per chance be teachers (we have THAT look i think) or actually involved in education/teaching/kids.
Large range of age groups were represented – from terribly young and enthused people in front of us, 30-somethings, mature/experienced 40 y.o and people even older yet. Most seemed quite interested and I’m hoping that even if everyone in the room doesn’t go out and start using these technologies with their classes or in their schools, they will at least be familiar with the definitions, the ideas, the possibilities and advantages to teaching/ learning of these social technologies. The message will be “mainstreamed” and out there.
Preaching to the converted? Perhaps – no hard evidence on the day – but there was a BUZZZZ.
As I said, unscientific, and just some observations….
on January 13, 2007 at 10:41 am
Hi, Kim, thanks for the mention. The hall held 250 people, and I think it was great tat ther were so many. One person came up to me afterwards and said “NOW I get what a powerful tool a wiki can be!” Hope u found it useful/interesting, and unscientific observations are always welcome in my book!
on January 13, 2007 at 11:39 am
Thanks for the observations, Kim.
“Most seemed quite interested” – I think Terry and I will have to use that on the movie poster when we release the film version